In Praise of Hi.P.A.

Magic Hat is becoming one of the more recognizable breweries in the Northeast. Tucked away behind a Jiffy Lube in suburban Burlington, VT, it has made its mark by clever marketing and a constant rotation of their product, often through their “SeasonAles.”

We here have had a generally good relationship with Magic Hat — though we find their two flagship beers, #9 and Circus Boy, to be on the pedestrian side, and wish they wouldn’t put them in every twelve-pack. But one beer that hasn’t gotten its due is their Hi.P.A., a springtime India Pale Ale, that serves as a sweeter, less severe counterpart to its brother, Lucky Kat. Whereas the latter is heavy on the resiny wood flavors, Hi.P.A. is more on the flowery side of the spectrum, with a perfume-like aroma, and a hint of mild citrus.

The look of Hi.P.A. is top notch as well. It pours a bright but cloudy orange, with a thick fluffy head and thick patches of Brussels lace all over the inside of the glass.

I’m not sure why I haven’t noticed the sublime, springtime virtues of Hi.P.A. before. (Perhaps I never thought it measured up against its more aggressively-hopped contemporaries.) At any rate, this will be a beer I will be going back to again and again this spring.